Hampton Man Slated To Return To Court Over Drug-lab Charges

Daniel Frank Warfel, 21, will be arraigned on two charges - - attempting to manufacture Ecstasy and attempting to manufacture methamphetamines. A grand jury returned indictments last week.

A French company that supplied some of the same chemicals taken from an illicit drug lab in Detroit told U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials about a customer in Hampton. DEA agents from Norfolk traced the orders to Warfel's home in the 800 block of Thames Drive.

The investigation culminated with a court-authorized search Sept. 18.

Two DEA chemists dismantled the homemade lab and carried the chemicals to the DEA lab in Washington. There, analysis revealed sufficient amounts to produce 3 kilograms, or 6.6 pounds, of the mind-altering party drug Ecstasy and methamphetamine. Ecstasy is also called MDMA.

Warfel told federal agents he produced the first batch of Ecstasy in February, seven months before the raid. He also said he was producing the drugs for personal use.

Warfel spent a week in jail before a detention hearing Sept. 25. Magistrate Judge William Prince released him on a recognizance bond but confined him to his parents' home and electronic monitoring.